Unexpectedly, I got to spend my 30th birthday riding from Austria into Italy. Wow! The only things missing were family and friends.....but that's for later celebrations in life:-) One of the most amazing parts of this trip for me has been seeing the change in rivers as we follow them for long distances. We started following the Drau when it was a raging river, wide, and murky brown colored water. By the time we entered Italy, it was maybe 10-15 feet wide, and colors changed to greenish blue from the glacial silt. At times we could see the trout darting out from behind a rock for a quick snack. The smaller the river got, the closer I knew we were to our destination.
We headed up valley while everyone else headed down. Passing over 1000 people as we continued to climb up toward the Dolomites, we actually couldn't wait to get off the bike path. It's a hard thing for us when there are so many people around because we too are tourists, but being amongst quiet is something so unique and enjoyed by both of us. Finally, we made a little turn that brought us from encased with trees to a view of the Dolomites and the town of Toblach, maybe the Italian Aspen. Unbelievable. The bike path led us all the way to our campground, the climbing continued from the week before, and did so for the next week as well.
The first day in the Dolomites, we left our panniers with our tent at the campground and rode up Mount Elmo. It wasn't difficult, but efinitely slower than if we were on our lightweight racing bikes, but what hurry are we in? The path was rocky, so the downhill was quite a treat. That is complete sarcasm, especially since it started to rain, the bike path started to turn into a mix of mud and rocks, causing squeeky brakes. That noise is awful. We eventually made it down to town before the store closed so we could cook dinner.
When I got out of the store, the sky had turned a scary gray and was heading toward us quickly and we were a good 10 miles to our campground. We rode like crazy, but of course the storm won and overtook us. It was raining so hard that we could barely see, and of course, we had to ride uphill again to reach our campsite. Arriving completely drenched, I mean soaked, we hurryed into our tent, changed into something dry and had a snack as we hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now 7pm. I look to my vestibul and a small river is running right for us! There is nothing we can do besides move our stuff onto our sleeping pads to keep it from getting soaked as the water is seeping through the tent floor. Not only this, but Ryan bit through his tongue so badly that he actualy had a big chuck of it hanging off. What a night!
We did survive, spent the next morning with our stuff strewn all over the campground wherever there was sun, trying to dry ourselves and everything out before we had to pack and move on. So much for a day of cleaning! We moved campgrounds for a better spot to hike from, climbing again, and this time with our panniers. I do enjoy taking our panniers off for a ride, but it always makes the next day so much more difficult and unpleasant because we know the beauty of no weight.
Riding to the quiant little town of Miseruna, we had more rustic camping. It was basically a parking lot with grassy edges for the tents, dirty bathrooms, but the view could not be beat. Enormous rocks jutting straight up, off colors, simply breathtaking. The next day we missed the bus up to our trailhead, forcing us to start our hike from our campsite, adding another hour and a half to our walking. Reaching the Drei Zinnen was worth every step. A set of 3 rocks jut straight up to the sky, via feratta routes that can bring you closer to the tops, and trails that loop around on fairly easy paths for every age to be able to accomplish. It was absolutely amazing to see what nature has to offer. Blue skies, great company, a wonderful hike, and a nice change to use different muscles. We even got lucky on the way down and got picked up for a car ride back to our tent.
From here we basically cruised downhill through little towns before making our way to Cortina, the heart of the Dolomites we were told. This town is fantastic, shops, cafe's, brick sidewalks, and sits in the valley, again surrounded by impressive peaks that are every off color. A slight pink, gray and white for the rocks and green brush that fills the cracks of the faces, whites of the stones, etc. We both fell in love with Dolomites, spending I think 8 or so days there. One of the days, we again took the panniers off the bikes and rode up to Passo Falzerago. The weather change quite drastic when we reach these heights, making us glad we brought a jacket and covers for our legs.
When we got into town, Ryan went to prop his bike up and realized he didn't have his clickstand, one of our favorite toys of this trip! He must have left it at the top when we were taking pictures. What a bummer! The next day was Ryan's birthday, and we were planning on riding to another town. He decided he wanted to head back up there to see if his clickstand was still there. Yes, a shot in the dark, but worth it as it's so nice to not lean your bike against a wall and help the process of tearing a pannier. Finding the bus schedule and eventually making it to the bus station in town, never easy by the way, we got back up to Passo Falzerago, and what do you know? There is his clickstand, still standing upright where he left it yesterday! After a fox stole his shoe and he bit through his tongue, he was due for some good luck. Smiles all around and we got to spend Ryan's birthday hiking, scrambling over rocks, taking in the views that are a lot of the pictures on the blog. It was great day that ended with wine, cheese, meat and crackers. All from the Dolomite region. As it was Sunday and shops were closed, we found a little local meat shop owned by a great Italian man who introduced us to the best cheese of our trip, drunken parm. It's a sheeps cheese that is actually aged by sitting in a vat of red wine. It was absolutely delicious.
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